Source:
The New YorkerArticle: "The Political Scene: The Fall of Conservatism" by George Packer
Quick Take: America's Conservative wing is important to study. As much as I want to reject the annoying rhetoric spewing from the radio waves, there's a huge part of me that wants to really understand the arguments (at least from those willing to speak rationally, instead of speaking down). I've been following Obama closely for months and the more I hear him speak, the more proud I am to be part of this moment in history. However, does it make me crazy to agree with M. Savage or Glenn Beck every so often? There are a lot of smart critics out there--liberal, center, conservative--and understanding the issues and the arguments presented for and against a position, is the only way I will be able to take a position myself. I need to become more informed. Why? Because I want to have an opinion that contributes to the dialog.
I'm not sure where my vote will go in November, but this process of deciding is one for the history books. In the end, I'll be able to tell my kids that I contributed. Naive and wide-eyed: maybe...but, when it's all said and done, at least I'll have an informed (and more times than not, passionate) stance.
"...Yet the polarization of America, which we now call the “culture wars,” has been dissipating for a long time. Because we can’t anticipate what ideas and language will dominate the next cycle of American politics, the previous era’s key words—“élite,” “mainstream,” “real,” “values,” “patriotic,” “snob,” “liberal”—seem as potent as ever. Indeed, they have shown up in the current campaign: North Carolina and Mississippi Republicans have produced ads linking local Democrats to Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama’s controversial former pastor. The right-wing group Citizens United has said that it will run ads portraying Obama as yet another “limousine liberal.” But these are the spasms of nerve endings in an organism that’s brain-dead. Among Republicans, there is no energy, no fresh thinking, no ability to capture the concerns and feelings of millions of people..." (
full article)
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